19 comments:

I work nights...Yes, I can honestly say, dealing with some of these people at the services...OMG...really. spell my name? but I have a simple name..such as ex: mary..can you spell that..because there are many ways to spell it...if i hear that one more time. Or calling another svc during the night for a stat consult, they ask you if it is stat , and no kidding put you on hold for sometimes up to 3-4 minutes..don't know why, haven't given any info yet. gosh dr g. i am glad it's not just us other overnighters, that deal with these people...

Just a quick tip that I've learned. Whenever answering the phone or calling someone, I pause for about 2 seconds. It's just long enough to get someone's attention because there have been way too many times where a conversation goes like this.

/ringringringMe: Hello, $name speaking.Them: Yes, can I speak to $name?

Or, I may just start picking up the phone from unknown callers and just say "Hi!".

I worked for a large clinic system overnights for years while working on my degree. We answered for 51 clinics, an insurance nurse line, and took calls from hospitals all over the upper half of the state for MD consults. Yes, some operators are less than competent, however, there are a lot of champs answering those phones at night too.

And, yes, sometimes we don't hear you and we have to ask you to spell your name. Ever tried to talk to someone who calls you all sleepy and slurred at 3 AM? Try memorizing the names, pagers, protocols, and idiosyncrasies of 750 doctors and all sorts of affiliated techs, CRNAs, PAs, and assorted other providers and see if you don't occasionally sound like a moron, too. :O)

Welcome to my whining!

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